Lighting system



Mach 30,1926.

1,578,719 A. DENNINGTON men'rxue SYSTEM Filed Sept. 24, 1920' Patented Ma. 30, 1926; Y

UNITED srarss FICE.

earsNr ARTHUR n. DENNfNGTON, or nAs'r ORANGE, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNOR To wEsrING- V nousn ELECTRIC & MANUFACTURING COMPANY, A CORPORATION OF PEN sY-L-* vANIA. v

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ARTHUR roN, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of East Orange, in the county of Essex and State of New Jersey, have in-e vented a new and v useful Improvement in Lighting Systems, of which the following is a specification. 1

My invention relates to series lighting systems and particularly to lighting sys-v tems employing incandescent lamps, such as in electric railway power houses, cars and tunnels.

The object of my invention is to provide a system of the above indicated character that shall automatically substitute an equiv alent Or compensating resistor for a lamp in the event of the removal of, or damage to, the latter and that shall operate quickly to prevent damageto adjacent objects when fracture of the filament or other damage to the lamp causes a sustained arc therein.

Heretofore, it has 'been'usual to provide series lamp systems with compensating resistors and means for substituting the same for lampsthat may be eliminated from the circuit through any cause. It has been found that an are, when formed in a lamp, not only frequently follows the leading-in wires to the base of the lamp, but frequently melts part of the socket, making it necessary to replace not only the lamp but the socket.

To the best of applicants knowledge, none of the devices heretofore used have avoided the danger of a sustained arc.

In practicing my invention, 1 provide a series magnet switch for connecting the compensating resistor in circuit in the place of a damaged or removed lamp and a shunt relay or switch for so controlling the series switch as to ensure that the compensating resistor will be relatively quickly substituted. for the lamp, thereby precluding dam- R. DENNrNc-- :HLIGH'IING SYSTEM. 7 A I j "T" Application filed September 24, 1920. :Serial No. 412,423.-

tro 'magnet switches or relays 6 between terswitches 6 arenormally' connected in shunt relation to the respectivelamps thereof and hold the contact members 4 and 5 in engages ment with each other to maintain the circuit of the'lamps.

Resistors 10, having lamps for substitution therefor through contact-members 11 and12 ofvthe switches 3.

:minal conductors? and ,8. Coils 9 of the substantially the 1 same resistance as the lamps, are-normally maintained in disconnected relation to the 05.

lVhen a lamp is removed from its socket, l

or upon the occurrence of an ordinary filament failure in one of the lamps, the correspondingseries coils 2, being cut out of cir cuit, will permit the contact members 11 and 12 to engage,the'reby cuttingin the resistor 10 corresponding to the lamp which has failed or has been removed.

of one of the lamps, there-is a tendency to sustain an arc, the latter will cause a sufiicient voltage vdrop across the lamp terminals and in the coils 9 of the corresponding shunt Vhen, upon the, occurrence of a failure 7 switch 6 to drop out an armature 18 of the set forth in the appended claims.

I claim as my invention thespirit and scope of my invention, as-

1. Ina series lighting system, the combination with a lamp, a compensating resistor therefor, and anelectromagnetic 'SW1 tCl1 comprising acoil in series'with the lamp and contact members'for controlling the resistor circuitconnections, of an electro magnetic relay comprising a coil responsive to the drop in potential'across the lamp and contact members for controllingthe circuit of the first named switch coil.

2. In a series lighting system,- the combination with a lamp, a compensating resistor therefor, and a circuit-interrupting device comprising a coil in series with the lamp and means for connecting the resistor in shunt relation to the lamp' 'of a second ci.rc'uit-interrupting device having open ating coil in shunt to the lamp to control the circuit of said first coil.

3. In a series lighting system, the combination with a lamp, a compensating re sister therefoig and a circuit-interrupting device comprising a coil for connection in series with the lamp and contact members .for connecting the resistor in circuit When Said coil is deenergiz'eol, of it second circuitinterrupting device coin-prising a coil in 10 In testimony whereof, I have hereunto subscribed my name this 14th clay of Sept. 1920.

ARTHUR R. DENNINGTON. 

